Pin worms are small white contagious worms which are ¼th of an inch in length. They are quite prevalent in children but adults can also suffer from the disease. An adult pinworm lives in the upper part of the colon and survives by feeding on intestinal contents.
To lay eggs, a mature female worm migrates from the intestine to the anal region. These microscopic eggs cause intense itching around the rectum region so that many eggs are picked up under the nails by the fingers during scratching. Once the eggs reach under the fingernail they can be easily transferred back to the stomach through mouth where they hatch and again migrate to the rectum.
Pinworm is a common cause for anal itching among children, some might not feel any symptoms but for others loss of appetite, insomnia, bed wetting, weight loss, irritability, appendicitis, nausea and vomiting is common. If these worms migrate to the female vagina then it can cause inflammation and intense itching in the genital tract. Besides the medication prescribed by your specialist for pinworm treatment simple pinworm natural cures can be followed at home to deal with the parasite.
Hygiene should be the Mantra – Once you know that you or your child has pinworms take every step to keep the bottoms clean. Pouring some water on the anal area or wiping the area with wet cloth can provide some temporary relief. However make sure to dispose the cloth or wash the cloth and hands thoroughly after use. It is very important to wash your hands with soap and water each time after you visit the toilet or touch your anus. To encourage this habit in your child you can buy soap with cartoon faces or shapes.
Trim your Nail – Keep your fingernails short as it is more convenient for the eggs to hide under long fingernails. Also short nails will be easy to wash off the eggs.
Garlic – Eat a couple of small garlic cloves daily or add enough garlic to your meals. Grind garlic to make a paste and mix less than ½ pinch of it with Vaseline. Apply this on the anal region to deal with the itchiness and kill the eggs. This is one of the best pinworm home remedies for killing the eggs and reducing anal itch.
Detection – Help your doctor to diagnose pinworms by providing him correct information. While you child is sleeping at night you can look at the anal region by spreading the cheeks of the buttocks. If you see white colored approximately ¼ inch long worm – often they look like a piece of cotton then pick it up with a pair of tweezers and store in a small bottle. Press a cellophane tape against the skin of the anal opening when your child complains of anal itch; the tape will pick up the eggs. Press this tape on a glass slide and give it to your specialist to study under the microscope.
The importance of washing ones hands thoroughly before eating anything cannot be stressed too much. This simple act of personal hygiene, when inculcated in children, can protect the child from various infections and parasites and help them lead healthy lives. Among several parasites that can infect children, pinworm is the most common infection among toddlers and children around the world. Pinworms are small parasites that live in human intestines feeding on the digested food that passes through them. Small children are often infected by pinworms, although adults are also known to harbor them. Whether infected or not with pinworms, natural prevention and treatment is possible by following a meticulous hygiene routine. Children should be taught to wash their hands with soap and water every time they use the rest room and before they touch any kind of food.
Dirt accumulated under fingernails is a potential source of pinworm infection, particularly for children who suck their thumbs. Itching in the anus is a common symptom of pinworm infestation because the adult female pinworms deposit their eggs on the skin around the anus. Scratching tends to transfer the pinworm eggs to the underside of nails and eventually the eggs are consumed along with the food picked up by those fingers. Pinworms natural prevention could save any family money in pediatrician visits, tests, and medication since children with pinworms tend to lose appetite, are irritable, and sleep fitfully. Also, bedwetting is a common problem among these children. Those with small children are often in search of pinworms home treatments as bedwetting is a problem that children and parents find embarrassing.
It is vital that parents know how to get rid of pinworms because anti-pinworm drugs that doctors prescribe kill only adult worms. The eggs can survive for more than two weeks on the clothing, bedding, or other surfaces where they are transferred from the nails and undergarments of infected children. Called enterobiasis in medical language, pinworm infection and the search for natural cures for pinworms is of interest to the 200 million people around the world who are infected by it every year.
Garlic is said to be extremely effective in pinworms natural prevention and treatment. Eating garlic everyday helps. In the case of an existing infection, grinding a pod of garlic and mixing a half of pinch of the paste with petroleum jelly and applying it around the anus helps kill the eggs. Consuming capsules with natural extracts from the seeds of grapefruit or a powder of pumpkin seeds mixed with honey are also said to eliminate pinworms. Pinworms natural prevention and treatment can also be effectively done by using herbal purgatives or enemas.
